Irish Stew

St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner and there are certain things that are mandatory to celebrate, stew is one of them. This is a wonderful hearty meal when it is cold outside. I personally prefer stew served over [url:1]braised smashed red potatoes and celery root[/url] instead of the red potatoes in the stew, but clearly Molly is the boss and she overruled me. Kombu is a sea vegetable that you get in a health food store. Aside from the nutrients it adds to your meal, it helps create a beautiful mouth feel to vegetarian stocks. I know the dark chocolate seems odd, but it just brings the flavors together beautifully. You need to make biscuits to mop up the gravy.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2 25

Servings: 8 c

Course: Dinner, Entrees

Calories: 185.4

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 185.4kcalProtein: 3.447gPhe: 124.6mgPKU Exchanges: 8.31exch

Ingredients

5 Portobello Mushrooms cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 cups Onions (2) chopped medium
3 Carrots sliced into 1/2 inch thick circles
1 1/2 cups Celeriac root (1/2) peeled, cut into one inch cubes
1 1/2 cups Leeks (2) with green removed, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 Celery sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 cups Small red potatoes cut in half
4 Garlic minced
1/8 Guinness Draught (Draft Stout)
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth, preferably Swanson
2 teaspoons Bay Leaf (2), dry, whole
2 tablespoons Kombu, one stick, left whole
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon Rosemary, fresh minced
1 tablespoon Thyme, fresh minced
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh minced
1/2 Bittersweet Chocolate
2 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat in Dutch Oven pot; add mushrooms in two separate batches. Brown mushrooms on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding more olive oil if needed. Remove mushrooms, season with salt and set aside.
Heat remaining tablespoon of oil and tomato paste in Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until paste begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add onions, leeks, carrot, celery root and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is reddish brown, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable broth and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is well browned, about 5 minutes, adding more broth when needed to prevent scorching.
Add in the Guinness, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to kettle. Reduce liquid to half, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add stock, bay leaves, kombu, salt and pepper; bring to simmer. Add mushrooms, celery and potatoes; return to simmer. Cover and reduce flame to low (or put in oven set to 325 degrees); simmer about 20 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves and kombu. Add the thyme and rosemary. Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Add the cornstarch dissolved in broth, stir constantly for 2 minutes until the liquids thicken. Add the dark chocolate and butter. Add parsley, lemon juice and adjust seasoning if needed.

Notes

If there is any left over, this makes a great pot pie filling as well

Reader Q&A:
Q: I added the broth in step 3, but in step 4 it says to add cornstarch to the broth. Is there something I'm missing? Thanks! A: I will clarify on the instructions, but you need to dissolve the cornstarch in a little liquid (to make a slurry) before adding it to anything hot or it will clump. If you have a little extra vegetable broth (2 Tablespoons), dissolve in that, otherwise use water.
Q: Is there something I can replace the Kombu with? I am having a hard time finding it. A: You can eliminate it. It adds a nice richness to vegetable based broths/gravies (as well as hard to get minerals) but will be fine without it.

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